Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson shows off her tee shirt in support of the Savannah Children's Choir's up coming trip to Italy during the first Town Hall meeting of 2012 Tuesday night at the Savannah Civic Center.

Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson intorduces the Savannah Children's Choir and talks about their up coming trip to Italy during the first Town Hall meeting of 2012 Tuesday night at the Savannah Civic Center.

Mayor Edna Jackson put the growth and recovery needs of local businesses center stage during the first town hall meeting of her administration Tuesday.

Before an audience of about 200 at the Civic Center, she announced the creation of two ad hoc committees, one for business and one for development, to address concerns raised during the election campaign that the city needs to emphasis job training, reduce permitting processes and find other ways to ease city regulations for business.

“While our economy is finally showing signs of life, there is no denying the past three years have been some of the most trying in our history,” she said. “...This city government must not stand in the way” of businesses that want to open, expand and thrive.

She called on “Mom and Pop” businesses, corporations, labor unions, developers and entrepreneurs to join the city in examining how it conducts itself with businesses, but encouraged them to offer help.

“We can take criticism, but what we really need are solutions,” she said.

Read Brennan, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Savannah, last week called the creation of the committees “a step in the right direction.” One focus his organization will want to address is the proposed Unified Zoning Ordinance, which seeks to standardize planning and zoning requirements between existing city and county plans.

Taking questions from the audience on a variety of topics, Jackson and her fellow council members learned a proposed law toughening penalties against owners of dogs that maul or kill people likely will not get approval from the Legislature this session. Sen. Lester Jackson told the audience it is still too difficult to pass a statewide law because too many rural counties have hunters who work with dogs. A locally sponsored bill, which would impose tougher sanctions only on more populous counties, may be the solution, the senator said.

He also asked council whether a site had been chosen for a new arena, saying state funding could be sought. The mayor and City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney responded no site had been selected, but Jackson added “we’ll be asking for state funds for everything.”

“We feel like we’re not going to be doing it all by ourselves,” she said of the arena project. “We are going to need partners.”

The meeting featured two new elements designed to highlight positive efforts in the city. The Savannah Children’s Choir opened with a performance, and the mayor also commended two citizens, bestowing a Good Neighbor Award on Dan Murphy and Cynthia Kennedy.

Murphy, 77, of Magnolia Park, helps neighbors by putting U.S. flags up at several homes, picking up litter and keeping watch for any problems. His wife, Carol, he said, supports all his efforts.

“If I see something wrong I fix it,” he said. “I just feel it’s part of my job (as a neighbor).”

Kennedy, 50, a member of the Eastside Concerned Citizens Inc., helps provide cancer education for the American Cancer Society and the Southeast Georgia Cancer Alliance.

“In our neighborhood most people are either too afraid to talk about cancer or they don’t have the information,” she said.

Jackson revived the Good Neighbor Award, which the city had done in prior years, and said she hopes to recognize two people at each quarterly meeting.

WHAT’S NEXT

Savannah City Council meets Thursday.

The workshop is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Presentations include updates on drainage projects and special purpose local option sales tax projects. Discussion also is scheduled for alcohol use on quadricycles, which is scheduled for a vote at council’s 2 p.m. regular meeting.

Both meetings will be at City Hall, 2 E. Bay St.

For updates, follow reporter Lesley Conn on Twitter or watch the meeting live at savannahnow.com.